1302 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



Shrub, 1 to 2.5 meters high, the branches stellate-tomentose, armed with 

 few short prickles or often unarmed ; leaves oblong, elliptic-oblong, or oblanceo- 

 late, 18 cm. long or less, obtuse or acute, densely stellate-tomentose beneath 

 or finely stellate-pubescent, unarmed; cymes many-flowered; corolla pale blue, 

 12 to 15 mm. long; fruit 6 to 10 mm. in diameter. 



56. Solanum diversifolium Schlecht. Linnaea 19: 297. 1846. 



Solatium torvtim ochraceo-ferrugineum Dunal in DC. Prodr. 13*: 160. 1852, 



Solanum ochraceo-ferruginevm Fernald, Proc. Amer. Acad. 35: 560. 1900. 



Baja California and Sinaloa to Tamaulipas, Veracruz, and Oaxaca ; type 

 from Papantla, Veracruz. Central America. 



Shrub, 1 to 3 meters high, the branches stellate-tomentose, armed with few 

 short prickles or sometimes unarmed ; leaves ovate-oblong to broadly ovate, 

 18 cm. long or less, acute or obtuse, usually sinuate-lobate but sometimes entire, 

 stellate-tomentose, usually unarmed ; cymes few or many-flowered ; corolla 

 white or bluish, 12 to 16 mm. long; fruit 1 to 1.5 cm. in diameter. "Salvadora " 

 (Tamaulipas) ; " berenjena " (Sinaloa). 



Palmer reports that in Tamaulipas the fruit is employed for poisoning rats. 



9. ATHENAEA Sendtn. in Mart. Fl. Bras. 10: 133. 1846. 



1. Athenaea nelsonii Fernald, Proc. Amer. Acad. 35: 567. 1900. 



Type collected between Tumbala and El Salto, Chiapas. 



Shrub (?), the stems viscid-villous ; leaves petiolate, broadly ovate, 20 

 cm. long or less, cuspidate-acuminate, deeply cordate at base, entire or with a 

 few sharp teeth, sparsely villosulous beneath ; pedicels fasciculate, 3 cm. long 

 or less ; calyx glandular-villous, eampanulate, with 5 narrow lobes ; corolla 

 1.5 to 2 cm. long, yellowish, deeply 5-lobate ; fruit red, inclosed in the calyx. 



DOUBTFUL SPECIES. 



Athenaea xalapensis (H. B. K.) Hemsl. Biol. Centr. Amer. Bot. 3: 422. 

 1882. Withania xalapensis H. B. K. Nov. Gen. & Sp. 3: 13. 1819. Type from 

 Jalapa, Veracruz. 



10. WITHANIA Pauquy, Diss. Bellad. 14. 1824. 



1. Withania melanocystis Robinson, Proc. Amer. Acad. 26: 171. 1896. 



Type from Tamasopo Canyon, San Luis Potosl. 



Shrub, 1.5 to 2.5 meters high ; leaves lanceolate or lance-oblong, 3 to 6 cm, 

 long, acute, entire, petiolate, finely pubescent ; pedicels axillary, fasciculate, 

 5 to 10 mm. long; calyx 5-dentate, accrescent, in fruit about 2 cm. long, 

 bladder-like, contracted at the mouth ; corolla rotate-campanulate, 1 cm. long, 

 pale yellow with dark spots in throat, 5-lobate to the middle ; fruit baccate, 

 red, globose. 



The true position of this plant is somewhat doubtful. The other species of 

 the genus are natives of the Old World. 



11. BRACHISTUS Miers, .Inn. Mag. Nat. Hist. II. 3: 264. 1849. 



Shrubs or small trees ; leaves entire ; pedicels geminate or fasciculate ; calyx 

 short, broadly eampanulate, with 5 to 10 setaceous or minute teeth, not or 

 scarcely accrescent ; corolla broadly eampanulate, the limb 5-angulate or shal- 

 lowly lobate; fruit a globose berry. 



Larger leaves acutely acuminate 1. B. diversifolius. 



Larger leaves obtuse or obtusely short-acuminate 3. B. pringlei. 



